MasukLeo’s POV
When I woke up, it felt like someone had split my skull open and stuffed concrete inside.
A sharp pounding slammed against my temples with every heartbeat. I groaned under my breath and pressed the heel of my palm against my forehead, squeezing my eyes shut as if that would somehow stop the pain.
It didn’t.
The room spun lazily around me.
W
Leo’s POVWhen I woke up, it felt like someone had split my skull open and stuffed concrete inside.A sharp pounding slammed against my temples with every heartbeat. I groaned under my breath and pressed the heel of my palm against my forehead, squeezing my eyes shut as if that would somehow stop the pain.It didn’t.The room spun lazily around me.What the hell?I took in a slow breath, trying to steady myself, but even breathing felt wrong. My chest felt tight. My mouth was dry. My body felt heavy in a way I hated.I forced myself to think.Last night.Beach.Catherine.Dinner.That stupid conversation about weddings.Then...Nothing.
Ryker’s POVAs I moved closer to Professor John Mark’s office, the hallway somehow got longer.Not literally.But every step I took felt stretched, dragged out like the building itself was trying to warn me to turn around and leave before I made a mistake.The fluorescent lights above buzzed faintly, their pale glow washing the corridor in cold white light. A few students passed occasionally, carrying books and laptops while talking about finals and grades and weekend plans.Normal conversations.Normal lives.I envied them.Because my entire future currently sat in the hands of a man who once tried to fail me simply because I was poor.My fingers tightened around the straps of my backpack.Deep down, somewhere right at the pit of my stomach, I had a horrible feeling he was resp
Catherine’s POVLeo shoved my hands away the second I tried helping him stand properly.“Get off me,” he muttered, words slurring together.Wow,even in his drugged state he wanted nothing to do with me.He staggered sideways immediately after, gripping the edge of the dining table to steady himself. His breathing sounded uneven now, heavier than before, and sweat lined the side of his forehead.The aphrodisiac was definitely working.Maybe even stronger than I expected.His jaw clenched tightly while he fought to stay balanced on both legs.The ocean breeze drifted through the condo windows, moving the curtains softly while tension swallowed the entire room whole.“Come on,” I said quietly. “You need to lie down.”“I’m fine.”
Ryker’s POVI thought I would feel a whole lot lighter after last night, but I didn’t.Not even close.Chris and Oliver had done everything they could to distract me. Pizza, stupid movies, random jokes, Oliver nearly choking on soda because Chris kept doing terrible celebrity impressions. They tried. God, they really tried.And I loved them for it.But none of it changed the fact that my scholarship was gone.None of it changed the fact that while everyone else on campus was stressing over finals, I was stressing over whether I was even going to remain a student here by next week.I barely slept.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the words again.Scholarship denounced.The sentence sat in my chest like wet cement.Heavy and cold and permanent.The next morning, I
Catherine’s POVI grabbed an empty plate for Leo and started filling it with food from the table carefully.A few slices of toasted bread.Fruit by the side.Everything arranged perfectly.Everything looking normal.My fingers tightened slightly around the plate as I reached for the fork beside the counter, making sure my back stayed turned toward him.Then quickly, almost expertly, I slipped the tiny packet of aphrodisiac open.The powder inside looked harmless.A pale crushed color that disappeared immediately once it touched warm food.I sprinkled some across the toast.Then I grabbed his orange juice and poured a little more into it before stirring carefully with the spoon, I needed him to have enough of it, both to disorient him and arouse him.My heartbeat hammered wildly agains
Ryker’s POVChris walked closer to me slowly like he was scared one wrong movement would make me completely break apart.“Denounced?” he repeated carefully. “What do you mean denounced?”I looked at him, my throat tightening immediately.“It’s gone,” I whispered shakily. “It’s over.”The words sounded unreal even to me.Like somebody else was saying them.“If anything, I’m supposed to get kicked out of this school.” My chest tightened painfully at my sad reality.“None of this makes any sense.”Oliver’s brows pulled together immediately.“Did they state why?”I wiped roughly at my face, but the tears just kept coming anyway.&ldquo
I walked into the house on edge, every muscle in my body drawn taut. A chorus of greetings from the help drifted toward me immediately. They followed me as I walked up the stairs.I went straight to my mother’s room. Usually she'd at least poke her head from up the stairs and wave at me.When I rea
(Leonardo’s POV)Ryker had taken three drinks and now he moved like the music had slipped inside him and rewired his entire body. He swayed, loose-limbed and unguarded, eyes half-lidded, mouth soft, hips following the bass instead of his own thoughts.Cute.Dangerously cute.I sat on the low couch
I didn’t go down for dinner.I couldn’t. Just in case my father or mother would be there, seated at the long polished table as if nothing at all had shifted, as if the air in this house were not thick with something literally unspeakable!Blood. There was blood in the cr
I kept my gait steady, unhurried, until I shut the heavy doors behind me.The moment I heard the lock click into place, I heaved. I grabbed into my stomach and my mouth as I took deep breaths through my nose. I was thankful there was really nothing in it to throw up.My stomach unde







